la bella e la bestia
by Fivel Mousekawitz
Summary: "He lifted his hand and dragged a single claw down Neji's cheek and throat, careful not to tear the delicate skin - as enticing as the prospect was. Neji would be beautiful - so beautiful when broken." 19th century France during the middle of the Revolution, the Hyuuga family must run. An AU ShikaNeji story based on Beauty and the Beast.


**AN:** Obviously I own none of the characters, in fact I own nothing at all and am not making money off this. All material belongs to the respective owners.  
It's been a while that I've written anything, so we'll see how this goes... :) **Constructive criticism**, is, as always appreciated a great deal in order for me to improve on certain aspects.  
I tried to make everyone as in character as possible, so fingers crossed, and I hope you enjoy. xx

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_Early 19th__Century France_

_Somewhere in the deep South of France…_

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"Damn it! What the hell is going on with the weather?!" exclaimed the small dark-haired girl as rain suddenly fell in sheets upon the three small figures traveling through the dark, ancient woods along what was apparently meant to be a road.

"My apologies Hinata-sama, Hanabi-sama, I did not realize it would be this far out in the back of beyond. I would have made us leave earlier had I realized and we could have missed this rain."

Hyuuga Hinata unsuccessfully attempted to tie back her rapidly dampening hair, only for it to spill over her shoulders once more. She sighed, looking into the mauve eyes of her older cousin, feeling somewhat frustrated, though she quickly reminded herself that it wasn't his fault.  
"Neji-kun, you are doing your best, we shouldn't be so pathetic about it. The map was a very misleading one – and you could not have known that our driver would refuse to take us any further up this road!" She warily glanced at the thick woods on either side of them, wondering if they could be used for shelter, but at the thought of what was lurking behind them, decided against it.

Seeing Hinata's obvious nervousness, Hanabi grinned, "Think there are ghosts, Hinata?" Hinata glared at her younger sister, who laughed in turn.

Hinata glanced at her cousin, who seemed slightly lost in thought as he gazed up at the rain, eyelashes catching raindrops as he squinted at the ominously black and purple clouds still rolling in.

"Neji-kun?"

He blinked, as though remembering the duty he had been charged with.  
"Hinata-sama, Hanabi-sama, I suggest we walk faster in the hopes of coming upon our destination soon, and at a relatively reasonable hour."

Hinata nodded and fell in step with her cousin's now rapid pace. The two sisters were however not as light footed, occasionally stumbling over fallen branches and large tufts of thistles, which had defiantly sprouted up in the middle of the overgrown, disused path.  
Hanabi, at this stage bored of the six-hour journey which had gotten them into the middle of nowhere in her mind, smirked, deciding to make a game of the whole situation, and broke out in a run down the path.

"Hanabi-kun!" Hinata cried out, tearing after her with Neji, who looked decidedly frostier than usual.

Occasionally, Neji was sure he had hear a low snarl come from somewhere in the thick of the woods, and although curious to investigate, decided it was best to keep up with the two whose livelihood he had been put in charge of. He turned a sharp corner, skidding on the peddles beneath his feet, and before he knew it, his ankle had twisted. Cursing, he bent down to inspect the damage, already feeling blood rush to the area as his ankle heat up. Looking up, his pain was momentarily forgotten at the overwhelming sight that stood before him and his two, now silent, cousins.

Ahead, the road ended in a large cul-de-sac, and looming in front stood two towering black iron gates, expertly forged into ornate designs. In the middle a large iron 'N' was almost camouflaged against the surrounding curls. On either side stood large stone columns and atop each of them stood a large stag, antlers twisted into menacingly sharp forms. Their gaze was directed at whoever stood before the gate, as though daring visitors to enter and face their fate. A thick, stone wall covered in moss and vines, glistening eerily from the rainfall, surrounded whatever lay inside, hiding it from view.

Hinata clutched her cloak tightly about her, and looking back was surprised to see Neji on his knees.

"Neji-kun, are you alright?" she rushed to his side, and proferred a hand to him.

Ignoring the gesture Neji stood, wincing slightly, and missing the pained expression, which flashed across Hinata's features.

"Hinata-ah" Hanabi whined, "I want to go home, I have a bad feeling about this… Maybe everything has clamed down in Paris by now?"

The look that Hinata and Neji both gave her told her other wise.

Neji and Hinata, the latter catching hold of Hanabi's hand, headed towards the gate.  
"If we don't like it, we can find somewhere else," Hinata tried to reassure her sister, giving her a small smile.

Swallowing a feeling of rising apprehension, Neji was somewhat taken aback when the estate that they found themselves in contrasted so strongly with the ominous entrance. Behind the gates lay perfectly kept grounds – roses and blossom trees, with a wide cobbled pathway, that was only interrupted by one beautiful Romanesque fountain situated in the middle.

In the distance sat a majestic testament to opulent nobility of century past. Its embedded Grecian columns dared defiance, and its ornate dome, for only a moment, gleamed proudly in a sudden break in the clouds. The arched, coulour-stained windows to unknown rooms and hallways seemed to go for miles on either side of the main entrance, which was led into by a wide staircase.

Now the huge double doors were clearly in their sight. In sync, they climbed slowly up the stairs. Neji studied the unusual wooden carvings with curious fascination. In the growing darkness it was difficult to tell what they were, but they appeared to be flecked with gold leaf.

After trying and failing to reach the high knocker, a snarling lion clutching a wide ring in its heavy jaws, Hinata determinedly straightened her shoulders and with a stiff fist, banged against the door with all her might.

The three Hyuugas stood and waited. And waited. And waited.

"Damn it all to hell! Weren't they expecting us?!" Hanabi snapped at the two elders, clearly the long day having taken its toll on her temper.

Suddenly the door was opened and on the other side stood a tall man, dressed in all black except for the stiff white shirt and collar peeping out from the top of the jacket, its long tails whipping in the sudden gust of air. What was most striking was not his scowl of pure disdain as his eyes took in the disheveled look of the travel weary group, but the canine-like teeth he possessed, which made Neji shudder. Bestial and rough around the edges, this man was everything Neji was not.

"No visitors." At that gruff announcement he slammed the door in their faces, barely escaping doing serious damage to their noses.

"What. The. Hell." Hanabi gritted through her teeth. Narrowing her eyes and almost breaking the skin on her palms with her nails as her fists tightened even further, she stepped back a few paces and gave the door one hard running kick.

The door was opened again, this time the man's eyes were flashing with fury as he ground out the words with much apparent difficultly, "I'm sorry, _miss_, but as I previously stated we are _not _receiving visitors."

Hinata quickly braced her hands against the door to prevent him from shutting it again, "There seems to have been a misunderstanding! We're not visitors! We came here in response to the advertisement which you put out in the papers!"

Before the towering man could bellow out his next response a soft, yet authoritative voice sounded behind him, "Oh my, could it be our new little family members have arrived? Please stand aside Mr. Inuzuka and let these poor wet creatures in."

Mr. Inuzuka glowered, begrudgingly stepped back, and allowed them in with a curt bow at the waist.

Inside was a kindly woman who seemed to be in her forties and was smiling warmly as the two girls walked in. Practically the polar opposite of the now coldly stiff butler, she was instantly likable. Her dark hair was cut short and parted in the middle, the ends curling around her cheeks to frame her face. Her ebony eyes emanated warmth as she looked at the three of them, "So, is it true that you are our two new maids and our one stable boy?"

It was Hinata who fervently nodded, "Yes ma'am."

"Excellent! My name is Shizune. I'm the housekeeper here. And this _pleasant_ gentleman here is Kiba Inuzuka, our butler." Kiba snapped his heels together and, albeit grudgingly, gave them another short bow.  
"Remind me of your names?"

Understandingly, Hinata gave a warm smile and answered her again, "I'm Hinata, this is Hanabi," she gestured to her younger sister,"and this is – "  
Neji quickly cut her off "My name is Neji."

Shizune frowned, "No last name? I take it you are related."

Hinata hesistated, knowing that using their real name cold be potentially very risky but before she could answer, Neji replied for her, "Our last name is Hayashi."

Shizune smiled at Neji, who did not return it, "Hayashi – lovely, well then, now that the pleasantries have been exchanged, I believe we need to get you out of these wet clothes and put some hot soup in your stomachs. Firstly though, please follow me to your rooms."

The housekeeper turned with a swish of skirts and the trio had to practically run to keep up with the older woman as she swiftly glided through the breathtaking hallways. Neji, who had never been allowed inside the Main House had never seen so much extravagance in one place, though he noted Hinata and Hanabi were hardly as impressed by it as he was.

Finally they reached the servants' quarters. By no stretch of the imagination was it anywhere as luxurious as the rest of the house, but it was a lot more than Neji was accustomed to, however he noted with spiteful glee that Hanabi and Hinata seemed somewhat put out.

She soon led them to a door and opened it to reveal a small room illuminated with a lantern on a dressing table, "Here you are, Neji-san." One small but comfortable bed stood on the opposite wall and a washstand, accompanied with an ornate mirror stood next to a window overlooking the back of the house. One large white wardrobe and fireplace stood opposite the bed, which he now noticed with a small smile had a ledge stacked with books.

"Thank you, Shizune-sama," he said, at which Shizune laughed. "There'll be no need for the sama, goodness! Now, if everything is to your satisfaction, I'll send Kiba up to take you to the kitchen for dinner shortly. Come now, Hanabi-san, Hinata-san," and with that she softly closed the thick door, leaving Neji alone to collect himself and regain his composure – it was hard to look dignified while dripping puddles in his sodden attire. He placed his bag in the sink for the water to collect and rummaged inside for dry clothes. Finding a fluffy towel next to the washstand, he rubbed himself down, towel drying his hair and changed quickly. Catching site of himself in the mirror, without the usual dark piece of material to cover his slave's brand, he felt oddly exposed. Quickly reaching into the pocket of his bag for a new one, he hid the mark from view.

Sitting upon his bed, he thumbed the soft duvet. He felt oddly serene. Although he knew that this escape – although perhaps not a complete escape, as he had left one family to serve another – was temporary, he felt somewhat content. The Revolution in Paris was not over. His uncle Hiashi had charged him with the care of his two daughters, to keep them in hiding until it all 'blew over' in his words. It would not blow over. The masses were too bloodthirsty, too hungry for violence. Neji could understand. Had he stayed he would have been welcomed as one of them, his head would not have rolled down the streets of Paris as the members Main Branch's would have.

Just as he was reflecting, a sharp knock interrupted his thoughts.

"Neji-san?" a familiar head poked around the door, and Neji recognized the man as the butler, Kiba, "You ready for supper?"

Setting his mouth in a stiff, somewhat disapproving line, he replied, "Yes, thank you."

"That's Inuzuka-san to you."

Neji did not even deign to answer that retort, and instead followed as Kiba jerked his head in the direction.

As soon as they reached the kitchen and opened the door they were met with a loud crash, deep laughter, and a woman screeching at the top of her lungs, "Uzumaki Naruto! I don't care if you're Napoleon's right hand man, nobody and I mean _nobody_ sticks their grubby fingers in _my_ dough! You big buffoon! I have a mind to stick this spoon up your-!"

A meaningful cough from the other end of the massive kitchen stopped the pink-haired cook's fiery tirade. She pointed accusingly at Naruto's face which was turning red from suppressed laughter, "Isn't there any way to ban him from the kitchen, Shizune-san?!"

Neji noticed the corners of Shizune's mouth twitching suspiciously as she mildly reprimanded her head cook, "I'm afraid not. He _is_the estate manager, thereby equal to me and above you in rank." Despite her words and despite traditional ranking, it was clear to Neji that Shizune was the one who reigned supreme.

However, Naruto still turned to smirk at the fuming woman next to him, but his expression suddenly turned solemn and then desperately apologetic when he noticed she was gripping a very large kitchen knife, "Now, now… Let's not be hasty Sakura-chan…"

At the comedic scene before the two Hyuuga girls, they giggled, causing all eyes to turn in their direction, "Oh! I'm sorry, we didn't mean to interrupt, we just…" Hinata trailed off lamely.

"No, no my dear! Come, sit here and we'll have some steaming Ramen soup up in a jiffy."

The firecracker of a cook whirled around after sticking her tongue out at Naruto, and before Neji knew it, he had been ushered into a seat, and the most delicious dinner he'd seen in a long, long time was easily within his reach. For a moment he stared in disbelief, having been brought up on a staple diet of rice and boiled fish and vegetables, this was almost extravagant, yet he noticed that Hinata and Hanabi seemed quite accustomed to this sort of meal. The cook leaned over the table and put her face right in front of Neji's. "Something wrong?" she dared.

"No, no" he reassured her, "It's just that I am unaccustomed to such indulgence."

A flash of pity flitted in Sakura's sea green eyes, and then it was swiftly replaced with a smile as she stood up straight and placed her hands on her hips, "Well, your eyes and nose have had their fill, give your taste buds a chance to savor the moment."

Neji smiled politely as he picked up his chopsticks – lacquered he noted and tucked in.

"Ha! With your cooking his taste buds are in for a dire disappointment."

"If you wanna live to see another sunrise I suggest you choose your words more wisely, _Naruto_," she sneered at him, waving her knife threateningly and then turned back to the three Hyuugas, with a smile on her face, "I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm Haruno Sakura, the head cook."

Hanabi wiped the crumbs off of her cheek and swallowed hurriedly, "Nice to meet you, Haruno-san! Hayashi Hanabi, the new maid."

"Hayashi Hinata, the second new maid," Hinata smiled up at Sakura warmly, who returned the gesture before turning to Neji."

"Hayashi Neji, nice to meet you," he nodded curtly at her as a sign of respect.

The two girls swiftly lost any apprehensions about their new jobs as they were caught up in the easy conversation among their new fellow employees and employers. Neji, however remained polite, stoic, and still somewhat unconvinced. Although the staff themselves seemed friendly enough, he couldn't shut up the lingering voice in his head 'well, where is the family we're supposed to be working for?'

The two Hyuuga girls, who didn't harbor any of these concerns, were soon caught to be yawning.

Shizune looked on with a knowing smile, "It seems are new family members are tired from their journey. You may retire early tonight and, Hanabi, Hinata, I'll be filling you in on your new duties. Neji, Rock Lee, the head groomsman will be filling you in on yours. You'll seem him tomorrow I'm sure." Neji nodded his thanks.

They Huugas politely expressed their gratitude, and stood to clean away their dishes. Neji turned to Shizune, "I do have on question though."

"Yes, Neji?"

"I was wondering if the family is currently living here."

Suddenly, Kiba, Sakura, and Naruto's faces turned somewhat solemn, while Shizune attempted to keep a smile on her face, "No, no – that is there is no family."

"No family? But then - "

"There is just one of the Nara family left, and he does spend most… No… He spends all of his time here at the main home."

"Nara? I don't know if I've ever heard of them…" Neji frowned as he tried to recall, but no recognition of that particular nobility came to mind – and he should know, he spent most of his time showing around the Nobles who came to visit the Branch family, interested in how well their system functioned. If there was only one residing here, Neji deduced, that must mean the rest of the family was caught up in the Revolution in Paris.

"Not many have, they preferred to live a quiet existence. Unfortunately… Well… These things do happen. Anyway, you rarely see the Lord Nara, so you need not concern yourself with him."

To Neji's growing suspicion, Shizune said that last part rather harshly, "Of course, Shizune-san," he said with a polite bow of his head.

"All right then. Off to bed you three." With that she ushered them out of the door.

Outside of the kitchen, the two girls stopped before parting ways.

"What do you think, Neji? Shall we stay?"

"Do you really think that the two of you have a choice in the matter?" Neji asked with a raised brow.

Hinata and Hanabi wince slightly, realizing that, if Neji chose to, he could defect, and leave the two of them to fend for themselves while he joined the Revolution in Paris fighting against their father and Elders.

"Neji-nii-san…" Neji, closed his eyes in what he hoped was disgust at this softly uttered name that Hinata has called him since they were young.

"Hinata-sama. One thing I would take notice of is the way they failed to talk about – even plainly avoided talking about the family who lives here. Another slightly suspicious point is that they accepted us without recommendations and the advertisement did not mention a Lord, and what kind of Lord blindly accepts staff like that?"

Hinata's expression had turned to one of worry at Neji's words as she realized that, in fact, he was right.

Hanabi meanwhile, bored and tired of the conversation shrugged, "Well, maybe we got lucky today."

Neji raised a brow at this naïve statement before turning, and heading off to bed, leaving a worred Hinata to be dragged away by her younger sister.

Later, Neji stood before his dressing table in a long, white gown, brushing out his coffee-coloured hair with precision. Laying the brush down, he surveyed himself critically. Having taken off the strip of cloth that kept his hair tied back, the slavery mark on his forehead kept drawing his eyes upwards. He traced the scar thoughtfully, remembering the pain of the branding and the smell of his burning flesh and the screams.

Closing his eyes and rubbing his temples, he walked over to his window and gazed out at the stormy night as he absentmindedly twined his long hair into a loose braid. The rain hadn't ceased its torrential downpour and a sudden loud crack of thunder seemed to shake the very floor he was standing upon. Neji secretly loved rain, and loved thunderstorms even more. He remembered nights where his father was on duty during such conditions, and he'd sneak out with a blanket and sit on his lap watching the lightening illuminate the world around him.

Yawning, and shaking his head at his own sentimentality, he gave the storm outside one last look, just as a lightening flash lit up the grounds below him. Neji blinked and froze at the form that he'd caught a glimpse of. A chill ran down his spine as his eyes widened and he grappled with the lock on the window, yanking it open. The cool rain hit his face, as he searched the grounds, willing lightening to light up the area once more.

_I must be imagining things. I must be… But_what_exactly did I imagine._

When the next lightening flash came… Nothing. Neji rubbed his eyes and waited once more… Still nothing.

Frowning at himself, he turned away, locking the window securely shut once more; surely it was just a beast of the woods, deformed by the flashing light. Yes, that's all it was, he reassured himself. That - and exhaustion.

Slowly, Neji crept into his cool bed and pulled the covers tightly around him, playing with the cool pendant that lay against his neck.

Softly he sighed and closed his eyes to go to sleep. But even as tired as he was, sleep had difficulty making its way through the flashing mental images of the ominous figure he'd seen below his window.

Sleep had difficulty pushing past the heavy feeling of foreboding that swarmed Neji's mind that night.

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AN: **Constructive criticism?** Please, do leave some, or anything else you wish to add.  
I hope to be updating soon! xx


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